Farmer awarded intermodal’s highest honor 

The Intermodal Association of North America is pleased to announce that BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer will be honored with the 2023 Silver Kingpin Award during this year’s Intermodal EXPO, Sept. 11-13, in Long Beach, California. The Silver Kingpin, the industry’s most prestigious award, recognizes an individual’s long-term contributions to intermodalism. It was started in 1977 by the National Piggyback Association.

Farmer began her 31-year railroading career with Burlington Northern in 1992 as a management trainee in Fort Worth, TX and went on to positions in network operations, finance, customer service, sales, and marketing. She also served as group vice president running BNSF’s Intermodal and Automotive business. In 2018, she was named executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 2021, she became the first woman CEO of a Class I railroad and is also the head of BNSF’s board of directors.

“Katie’s career exemplifies what the Silver Kingpin Award is about – an individual’s significant impact on the intermodal freight transportation industry,” Joni Casey, President and CEO of IANA shared. "Her professional accomplishments – which include her 2015 and 2016 terms as the first woman Chair of IANA – are inspirations for the next generation of intermodal professionals.

In addition to her IANA board service, Farmer is the former president of the National Freight Transportation Association. She also currently serves on Texas Christian University’s Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee, along with the Southwest Region Board of the American Heart Association.